Imperfectly Yours: His Slave Series

Seven

“Mace, Mace, Macy,” my little brother Reece said as he poked me.

I rolled on my side and pulled the covers over my head. “Go away Reece, I’m trying to sleep here,” I groaned and snuggled even further into the warmth the covers provided.

“Aliyah, tell her to wake up,” I heard Reece huff and then Aliyah chuckle softly. “I’m hungry and she promised me my Saturday breakfast and then the library.”

Why was he still talking? I could hear everything he was saying and all I wanted to do was just sleep and sleep and have a normal lazy Saturday like every teen girl.

“I’ll make you breakfast and then take you to the library,” Aliyah said and I immediately sprung out of bed so fast I almost fell off.

Aliyah and Reece laughed at me while I glared at them through narrowed eyes.

“Told you she would fall for it,” Aliyah said and high-fived with Reece. “Everyone knows how over-protective she is of her precious utensils.”

Tossing the covers aside, I got up and walked over to my closet to grab something warm. “Ha, ha guys, very funny.”

I walked to the kitchen bare foot and I could hear Reece and Aliyah laughing and making fun of me as they followed behind me. I rolled my eyes, I knew they didn’t mean anything and they were only messing around which was fun because Reece liked hanging out with Aliyah because he got to ask her all the questions he couldn’t ask me considering I hardly knew anything about school. Everything I did was just to make sure I was less of a disappointment to my parents and nothing else.

Reece and Aliyah sat at the stools by the kitchen island while I grabbed some pans from the cupboard then I grabbed the ingredients for the pancakes. I handed the mixing bowl to Aliyah who raised her eyebrow at me but sighed and took it from me.

“Love you Ali,” I blew her a kiss as I turned to the refrigerator and grabbed the eggs along with the bacon.

“You only love me when you turn me into your kitchen helper or lab rat,” she rolled her eyes while mixing the flour with all the ingredients. “I can’t believe you, this is why I don’t spend the night.”

I placed the bacon into the pan, the eggs were going to be cooked with the bacon juices to give them the flavour that they lacked. Honestly, I had no idea why people even liked eggs. The only way I could eat them was if 1. I didn’t know they were inside the food I was eating or 2. I couldn’t taste them.

“Please, you love being my lab rat because you get to taste everything before anyone does.”

“You do have a point there, I do love being the first to rub it in Kate’s face.”

I laughed at that. Reece sat there looking at me and Aliyah and then he smiled. The kind of smile that says you know something but you won’t say anything because it’s only yours to know. Sometimes he made me wonder what went on in that smart brain of his. I shrugged and went back to what I was cooking, no point in being hang up on something I was never going to know.

Aliyah passed me the pancake dough and I started making that as the coffee boiled. Reece hated coffee which made my life easier since it was one less thing to worry about my parents blowing their heads over.

After everything was done and we were all seated, everyone started digging in.

“We can go to the library after this, right?”

I internally groaned as I forked some pancakes and took a bite. “Yeah, but first you have to finish everything on your plate and then brush your teeth and change into something warm.”

Reece beamed so brightly that I kicked myself for almost wanting to tell him all I wanted to do was stay in and watch How I Met Your Mother re-run for like the hundredth time.

“Okay.” Then he stuffed down his entire plate.

He was done eating before I even got to the third bite and then he was up and running upstairs. Aliyah cackled.

“I like him you know, he has so much energy for a 10-year-old and he has the brains,” she sighed, “I would definitely marry him if he was the right age.”

I shot her a look, “Keep those dirty thoughts away from my little brother for crying out loud. He is just a kid.”

“He will be all grown up before you know it and he will start having girlfriends and probably s*x too.”

I cringed, there was no way I could think of my little brother growing up and probably turning into guys like Keith or those that sleep around. The thought of him turning into Keith when he was my age freaked me out. “Hell no, he won’t be doing any of that as long as I am still alive.”

That made Aliyah and almost shock on a piece of bacon, I passed her a glass of some water and she downed it all.

“Reece is an attractive kid and he’s going to be a heartbreaker whether you like it or not Ms. Boring.”

“Says the queen of boring herself.”

Aliyah frowned at that then threw a pancake right smack on my face. I looked at her and she stared back then burst into uncontrollable laughter. She was laughing so hard that no sound was coming out, only the shaking of shoulders.

“You are so dead,” I said through clenched teeth.

“You’d have to catch me first loser,” and then she run upstairs after Reece while calling out his name.

Deep breaths Mace, deep breaths, you will kill her another time when you have everything all planned out so that you don’t risk going to prison for murder. Besides, killing her now wouldn’t be the best idea, I still need her to help me get out of high school.

I loved Aliyah, she was the first friend I met when we moved to Layton seven years ago and we have been best friends since then. I met Kate in 8th grade and the three of us have been inseparable, but Aliyah and I were closer. I knew everything about her and she knew everything about me. That was how it was.

But she had it hard, she had to live up to her overachieving elder sisters who were pretty much great at everything. They were her entire world after her dad passed away when she was just 2-years-old and then her mum decided to bail on her kids a few years after with her rich younger boyfriend. Talk about having some morals. I had met her mum and I thought she was cool what with how she dressed and wished she was my mum but then she did that and that was that.

And her sisters did everything they could with the help of their dad’s younger sister and now Aliyah didn’t want to end up like her deadbeat mother hence why she was always pushing herself so much that I worried for her mental health.

Sighing, I placed the dishes in the sink and headed upstairs to get ready.

                                                                                **********

“Remember to have your phone with you at all times and don’t talk to strangers unless it’s the librarian,” I said and Reece rolled his eyes. “Don’t roll your eyes at me mister, this is everything you have to follow or there won’t be any more library visits.”

“Yes mum, I’ll do everything you have just said,” he replied, “can I go now?”

I thought it over, “Don’t cross the road and don’t take anything from anyone who you don’t know.”

“Seriously? I’m just going to be reading, not joining a gang and getting a tattoo. Geez Mace.”

“Hey! That can happen which reminds me, don’t join any gangs or get any tattoos please. Jules will kill me before mum gets the chance to.”

Aliyah grabbed my arm and started dragging me away, “Bye Reece, enjoy the library. We will at the mall.” She waved at him while I struggled to get myself free from her grasp.

“Come on Ali, his just a kid and I need to be there with him, not at the mall wasting my time,” I tried to wriggle out of her grasp but she held on tight.

“He has a phone and so do you, just text him to check up. Simple as that.”

I sighed, she did have a point.

“Great and besides, Kate is already waiting for us.”

                                                                                          *********

Kate was sat by the water fountain next to an electronic store with a guy. She had her hand on his arm while he had his hand on her thigh. Trust her to keep herself entertained while she waited. She had on her signature black leather boots with her black really short leather skirt that left anything to the imagination along with see-through hose and a black leather jacket with her hair swept to the side.

“She strikes again,” Aliyah said. “The poor guy doesn’t know that she’s a minor and he could be arrested.”

“And her not caring about the consequences as usual.” I shook my head, Kate always did this. Found some poor unsuspecting guy to prey on and then leave him high and dry with no money. At that thought, I remembered what Jay had said to me and there was no way I was going to make him one of her boy toys. He deserved better than to be treated like he was nothing but a s*x and money toy.

“Let’s go put a stop to whatever it is she has planned for the poor guy,” I grabbed Aliyah’s hand and practically dragged her the same way she had done to me all the way to where Kate was.

“Hey!”

Kate and the guy looked at us and Kate frowned while the guy scrunched his face in confusion.

“I hope you don’t mind being arrested for almost sleeping with a minor and probably getting fired from whatever job it is that you have and have your college expel you for criminal charges,” I said with a smile plastered on my face.

The guy’s face blanched and he looked at Kate then back at me and Aliyah. “What are you talking about?”

“Didn’t you know that she’s only 16 and according to the law, she is a minor?” I feigned confusion.

The guy sprung up so fast that he tripped on nothing and scooted back before he finally found his baring and ran back to the electronic store.

Kate frowned but stood up anyway, “Why do you always have to be such a party pooper? Can’t you let me have some fun?”

“Nope.”

“I hate you.”

“Love you too babe, love you too.”

Kate rolled her eyes and hooked her arm with mine while Aliyah just laughed along with her arm hooked into my other arm. I was in the centre and the one who always prevented them from killing each other whenever they got the chance.

“C’mon, I want to hit the arcade and search for someone to take home.”

Kate started dragging us to where the arcade was, which was at the other side of the mall. Yeah to all the walking.

I wonder what she thought she would find. The arcade was known for all is famous games but best yet, it was where most of the guys from the other schools located outside of Layton came to hang out. And that meant new faces who didn’t Kate and her infamous ways.

The arcade was half packed when we got there and Kate did no waste any time in scouting the place for any hot guys.

“Why do we always get dragged into this every time? Honestly, can’t we just have a weekend without any guys, like a weekend where we get to stay in and watch re-runs of our favourite shows or movies? Anything at all is better than this.”

“Cheer up, its only on the weekends after all. Let’s just give her this moment.”

I wanted to bang my head on the wall so hard that I would most likely get a concussion from it. “Whatever, just make sure you do it quick,” I turned to Kate whose focus was on a group of guys who were playing mini basketball. “Aliyah and I will get ourselves some tickets and see what games we can play.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Kate replied dismissively.

I rolled my eyes and just as I was about to turn and head for the counter, I meant Jay. And guess who was with him, Keith freaking Michaels.

I hate my life.

“Hey Macy, nice meeting you here,” Jay said while smiling and then his gaze locked on someone behind me which made his smile widen and reveal a really cute left dimple that I hadn’t known he had. “Hey Kate.”

My life just got ruined, this day has been ruined and all I want to do is go back home and crawl in my blankets while listening to some hard rock music.

“Oh hey,” Kate replied and joined Aliyah and me. “What you guys doing here?”

Jay rubbed the back of his neck and pointed behind us. We all turned and saw that he was pointing at the group of guys Kate had just been checking out not too long ago. “We’re here to meet them.”

Well, this was a turn of events. Who would have thought that people actually wanted to hang out with the devil himself?

“They are my buddies from basketball camp and figured I’d show them around the place on their visit,” Jay continued and then looked back at Keith who had one hand in his pocket while the other held his phone. He looked disinterested as usual. “Do you guys want to join us?”

“I mean sure, why not?” Kate replied with a shrug and the same time that I said no.

Jay looked at me and there was this pleading look in his eyes. Asking me to just say yes and give him a chance to make a move on Kate. I played with my fingers and looked away, there was no way I could say to that face but there was no way I was going to hang out with Keith on my weekend. I just didn’t want that.

“C’mon Mace, what else are we going to do?” Kate asked, “Aliyah doesn’t mind, right Aliyah?”

I threw Aliyah a pleading look but by her facial expressing, I knew I was the only one against this.

“I don’t mind,” she replied. “Do you?” she arched her eyebrow questioningly.

Dammit, I was screwed. I was so screwed and I couldn’t believe my so-called best friends had just thrown me under the bus like that without any second thought. What amazing friends I had.

I risked a look at Keith and he was already looking at me with a half smirk on his face. Damn him and damn them all.

“You can ask if you mind Princess, no one will hold it against you,” he said and his smirk turned into a full-on amused grin.

By now, they were all looking at me, waiting for a response and I hated each second of it. Sighing, I wished the ground would open up and swallow me whole but since that wasn’t happening anytime soon, I went with the worst chose possible.

“I don’t mind.”

And that was how my day turned into me hanging out with Keith, Jay and their friends.

                                                                                        ******

Pool, I had never played pool a day in my life and that was what the guys wanted to play. From basketball to pool, I swear someone up there didn’t like me for some reason because there was no one this was how my day was turning into.

“We’ll split into teams of two which means we should have a total of four teams,” Jay clasped his hands together and looked around the group of now eight people. “Since we have three girls here, we will let them pick who will matchmake.”

Kate had her devious smile as her hand went flying up. “I’ll do the matchmaking since I’m the only one who had experience playing pool and I know all the ins and outs of the game. We’ll be playing cutthroat so I hope you all know how to play.”

I knew what she was planning even before she said it out loud and all I wanted to do was strangle her. She had to find another way, there was just no way I was agreeing to whatever she was cooking up.

“I don’t mind, go on,” Jay said.

“First team we’ll have Aliyah with Mark.” Mark was a redhead who smiled very antisocial and I wondered what she was thinking. “I’ll be with Jay, Keith with Macy and Lom with Ray.”

Everyone walked over to their partners but I grabbed Kate by the arm and glared at her. “What the hell? Why did you put me with him of all people? Couldn’t you have teamed me up with Lom or Ray or anyone else that isn’t him?” I whispered through clenched teeth.

Kate battered her eyes innocently, “What? You two have so much chemistry I didn’t want to ruin that,” she said and turned away from me before I had the chance to say more.

“What’s wrong Princess? You don’t want to be my partner?” Keith asked from behind me. Taking a deep breath to calm myself down, I slowly turned o face him. He had two pool cues and his signature smirk that I have come to realise is only reserved for me and no one else. How lucky of me.

“I would rather choke to death than be your partner arsehole,” I replied through clenched teeth. “Heaven only knows why I’m still here tolerating your bullshite.” I swear, he brought out the worst in me. I never cussed this much until he came into my life. “And stop calling me princess, I’m not a freaking princess.”

Keith took a step closer to me as if he hadn’t heard anything I had just said. "You’re too sweet love but we both know that isn’t going to happen,” he did a one shoulder shrug. “As much as I hate people, you seem to have found a spot in my heart.”

“You don’t have a heart, only a stone-cold rock,” I rolled my eyes. I have no idea why he was acting like everything was okay after he lashed out at me like that. Was he bipolar or something?

He took another step until he was only inches away from me then he lent in so that his face was in front of mine. “Enough with the bullshite, just behave like the little girl you are so I can get the f**k out of here and away from your thirsty arse. Got it?” he stood back up to his full height and smiled sardonically.

What the hell was wrong with him?

“First team’s up.”

The others started playing and doing who knows what while I stood in a corner faraway from Keith. I didn’t understand him and I never wanted to. All I wanted to do was go home and for him to leave me alone.

Before I knew it, Keith was playing which meant I was up next and I had no clue on what I was supposed to do. I watched him lean closer to the table and angle himself before he pulled back the cue and hit the white ball which then hit a red ball that went into one of the holes. He stood up and nodded his head to me.

“I don’t know how to play,” I blurted out before I could embarrass myself in front of everyone.

“Come here and I’ll show you,” Keith nodded his head for me to go over.

You can do this Mace, just get this done and hope it’s the last round so you can get out of here and away from him.

Once I was close enough, Keith passed me a cue stick, grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to him.

“Lean in to the table but make sure you are comfortable so that your shot is on point,” he whispered in my ear and I did as I he said. “Then angle yourself and choose which ball you’d like to pocket then aim the white ball at it. Simple enough.”

“I still have no idea what I’m supposed to do,” I whispered back.

“Come on lovebirds, let’s get on with the game,” Lom shouted and the others laughed. “Some of us are hungry you know.”

“Suck it Lom,” Keith said without even turning to look at him. “Here, let me show you,” he placed his hands on my waist and I stilled. Then he brought his hands onto mine. He was so close that I could smell him and he smelled different, but nice. Something spicy and sweet. “Now pull back your arm and shoot.”

He helped me pull back my arm and before I knew it, the white ball had hit a green ball and then it went into the hole. I smiled, I did it, I actually did it.

Keith pulled back and winked, “and that’s how it’s done princess.”